The Top 3 Challenges of Big Data

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It’s no secret that manufacturers face challenges with wrangling data. From shipment details to inventory analysis, costing information, and more, the sheer volume of data manufacturers manage on a daily basis is staggering, not to mention the velocity at which it is coming into their business systems. In addition, all data isn’t the same. Data is coming in both unstructured (video, audio, log file, click stream, etc.) and structured (conventional databases), and it’s difficult for manufacturers to manage and make sense of it all.

Volume

As manufacturers grow, the amount of data flowing in and out of the plant floor becomes unmanageable without the right systems in place. Big data in particular is too large for traditional database management tools to handle, and it’s impossible to make strategic business decisions while being forced to manually manage this data. Storage is the first issue many companies encounter, and it may seem like an offsite storage option is the way to go. However, that option does not provide valuable business intelligence that can be derived from this data, nor easy access.

Velocity

Even if you had a team of people solely devoted to sifting through data, the velocity at which data arrives makes manual data processes unmanageable. Disparate systems can’t process the data fast enough for your business to keep up. By the time data gets processed, the “real-time” nature of it is inaccurate.

Variety

In the past, most company data was structured and able to be contained by typical database management systems. Today, new technologies are creating new forms of unstructured data, and manufacturers face mounting challenges in IT resources and infrastructure to handle these new data streams. The people and processes that are trying to manage all this data are struggling with inefficiency, none of which leaves a positive impact on the plant floor.

But, all hope isn’t lost. There is a solution. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) in the cloud has the capability to get the right data to the right person at the right time, allowing technology leaders to plan, forecast, schedule and more. With cloud ERP solutions like the Plex Manufacturing Cloud, manufacturers gain a complete view of all data flowing through every part of the supply chain. Enhanced traceability through barcode labeling enables quality management from start to finish, and real-time visibility on the plant floor ensures that regulatory mandates are met at the highest level of efficiency.